Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Surprise Present from the Mother of the Bride!



Cindy's daughter carried this cheerful Bridal Bouquet of Yellow Roses, 
White Roses, Sunflowers, Billy Balls, Baby's Breath
 and Dusty Miller in her wedding! 

Floral Design by: Heart and Home Flowers, Round Rock, TX

 The wedding bouquet was pressed and presented on a Neutral Gray 
background and in an 11x14" Barnwood frame!

 Sunflower Petal Pendants with Sterling Silver Sunshine Bails!
These were made from left over petals from the
bridal bouquet! 

 "Annie, I just wanted to let you know I gave my daughter her 
beautiful pressed bouquet last night and she LOVES IT! 

Thank you so very much!! ~ Cindy, Mother of the Bride 

Thank YOU, Cindy, for the pleasure of preserving this sunny bouquet! 
 ~Annie, Pressed Garden

All Pressed Flower Art by: Annie Smith, Pressed Garden, LLC, Austin, TX

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Elegant Bridal Bouquet of White Phalaenopsis Orchids, 
Pink Dendrobium Orchids, David Austin Roses, 
White and Burgundy Dahlias, White and Deep Purple Ranunculus, 
Astilbe, Veronica, Ruscus, Eucalyptus and Bottle Brush Greens. 

Floral Design by: Jennifer VanWyk of HEB Blooms, Woodland, TX

 Kimberly's elegant bridal bouquet, now pressed and preserved forever! 
The ribbons that decorated the bouquet stems are included. 
Frame: 11x14" antique gold oval frame and barely pink background.

 I asked my husband to send me a picture of it and it is BEAUTIFUL! 
Can't wait to see it in person. ~ Kimberly, Bride 

 Thank you, Kimberly, for trusting me with your gorgeous bouquet! ~Annie

All Pressed Flower Art by: Annie Smith, Pressed Garden, LLC, Austin, TX

To Honor A Fallen Law Officer



Heart Shaped Beveled Glass Ornaments
made from flowers gathered at the
Celebration of Life Service
of a Fallen Police Officer.

 Dendrobium Orchids and Blue Delphinium

Thank you, Sir, for your service.

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Liadon's Lush, Colorful Bridal Bouquet ~*

Laidon, of Chicago, IL, shipped this delightful bouquet to 
Pressed Garden for preservation!
Wow, the color explosion of this bouquet was really fun to preserve! 
Oranges, Yellows, Hot Pink and lots of green! Dahlias, Roses, Ranunculus, 
 Hypericum Berries, Pepper Berry, Eucalyptus, Billy Balls, Freesia 
and other details! 

Floral Design by: Pen & Petals in Chicago, IL. 
Photo credit: Erin Hoyt

 Liadon chose to have her bouquet presented in an 11x14" gold oval frame 
and on a barely pink background.

 Balloon-Shaped Ornaments using left over petals!

 I love it so much! It's gorgeous and I'm sure it's going to be an heirloom in my family. The ornaments are so beautiful as well! Thank you again so much." ~ Liadon, Bride

Thank you, Laidon, for trusting me with your fun, colorful bouquet! ~Annie, Pressed Garden

All Pressed Flower Art by: Annie Smith, Pressed Garden, LLC, Austin, TX 
Kate gathered these flowers from the wedding reception
of a friend and shipped them to me from California. 
 They weren't in the greatest condition,
so, I crossed my fingers that I could pull some
art out of them!

I am really happy with the outcome.  I had just enough
flowers for an 8x10.  Kate chose barnwood for the frame
and chamois gold for the background. 

Thank you, Kate, for trusting me with your friend's flowers!
~Annie, Pressed Garden 

All Pressed Flower Art by: Annie Smith, Pressed Garden, LLC, Austin, TX
 

Melissa's Sweet Bridal Bouquet!

Bouquets don't always come in, in the best of conditions, for whatever reason. 
But there is always something I can pull out because I don't usually use outter petals. 
Using the best petals, I was still able to put together some 
Roses, Peonies, Larkspur and Eucalyptus.

Melissa chose to have her flowers presented on a barely pink background, 
in an 8x10" gold frame. 
The gold plate is engraved with their names and wedding date.


All the floral parts that do not get pressed are turned into potpourri
for the bride, at no cost.
 Melissa chose to display hers in this pretty container
with a bit of lace from her mothers dress in front! 



Melissa and I both were very impressed with your work. 
~Mother of the Bride 

Thank you, Melissa, for trusting me with your pretty flowers! 
~Annie, Pressed Garden  

All Pressed Flower Art by: Annie Smith, Pressed Garden, LLC, Austin, TX



Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Vera's Lush, Romantic Bridal Bouquet, Re-Created!

 Vera carried this sweet blush bouquet in her Tuscany wedding.
~Peonies, Astilbe, Roses, Carnations, Eucalyptus~

Because flowers cannot be brought into the U.S.
without going through customs first, Vera asked
if I could re-create her bouquet!

Together, we arrived at this design
with her flowers cascading around her 5-part wedding invitation.

She decided upon a 20x16" antique gold frame and
a "barely pink" background.


No words for how beautiful your creation is! We are so happy and have proudly displayed your work so we can enjoy it every day. Thank you again for all the work you put into making it, for being so flexible and for going above and beyond. We will treasure it always.
~Vera, Bride
 
The pleasure was all mine.  I loved working with you and stepping into a unique request.
Thank you for trusting me with such a fun project!
~Annie, Pressed Garden 

Friday, November 3, 2017

Alexandra's Sweet Bridal Bouquet ~

Total Sweetness ~ Alexandra's Bridal Bouquet of Peonies, Roses, 
Ranunculus, Bush Roses, Lisianthus, Veronica, Sage and Eucalyptus 

Bridal Bouquet Design by: Venn Floral, Sebastopol, CA



The brides wishes were to have space all around the bouquet. (I tend to cram as many flowers as possible into a frame!) So, we went with a 12x16" frame. The Succulent Boutonniere is in the corner! Plain white frame and Neutral Gray background.

Thank you for the pleasure of preserving your bouquet, Alexandra!
~Annie, Pressed Garden
Pressed Flower Art by: Annie Smith of Pressed Garden, LLC, Austin, TX 

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Do Not Freeze Your Flowers! ~ Exposing Floral Preservation Myths!


 Do Not Freeze Your Flowers!!
Exposing Floral Preservation Myths!!

Recently, a sweet bride dropped off her bouquet at my studio for preservation. She didn’t know what to do with it and thought the best thing to do would be to place it in the freezer. She was devastated to learn that that was the WORST thing to do. By the time she arrived with her flowers, they were beginning to thaw and were a sticky, gloppy, stinky mess. They were ruined. She left in tears and I had a few tears of my own, disappointed for her. Fortunately, her florist re-created the bouquet for her and I preserved it into beautiful heirloom art.


  Roses, Orchids and other Flowers, ruined by freezing the bouquet. This bouquet was ruined by placing it in a refrigerator that was too cold.

 After a quick combing of the net, I found many articles about how to preserve your own bouquet.....and all of them were wrong. One was even titled, “How to Preserve Your Bouquet by Freezing It”. Another was titled, “How To Freeze a Live Flower So You Don’t Have to Keep It In A Vase”. Now really, who would want to keep it in a vase and enjoy it when you could stick it in the freezer? And what happens to your beautiful flower if the electricity fails or you move? 
I will tell you... your flowers thaw into a glop of goo, hardly the sweet flower you remember.

 Inside a gooey, gloppy mess of a frozen bouquet

 Preserving your bouquet, with hair spray is another misnomer. Often, you will see articles about spraying your bouquet with hair spray or lacquer before hanging it upside down in a closet. There are many flowers that will dry upside down, others that will not. Hair spray/Lacquer can seal the moisture into the flowers, causing them to mold and mildew, turning brown and black. It is not pretty. Also, hair spray is sticky, which becomes a magnet to dust and dirt. 

 Dried Red Roses....or maybe pink?....or white?


One mother, frantically called me because she tried the “drying upside down” technique while her daughter was on her honeymoon and it molded and turned black and literally began dripping on the floor below. She purchased new flowers and I recreated the bouquet, then pressed and preserved it. And, no, I will not tell who it was! My lips are sealed because somewhere in America, there is a mother breathing a sigh of relief that her daughter never found out that mom ruined her bouquet. 
(Being a mom, myself, I am bound by the Mother’s Seal of Honor)

Dipping your flowers in wax is something I came across on Pinterest. There is no follow up video, but I would imagine that the flowers fell off the stems, seeping an icky nastiness. Wax seals in the moisture. If the moisture cannot escape, then the petals begin to mold.
Another idea I saw on Pinterest was to hot glue fresh flowers into a shadowbox. NO!!! Again, if these flowers are not dry, you are asking for an ugly shadowbox of mold! If your other wedding items are also in that box, everything gets ruined!


Lastly, Do NOT press your flowers between wax paper!
This is a myth that simply will not die and is put out there time and again, by well meaning blog/article writers who don't do their homework. Wax Paper seals in the moisture when you want the moisture wicked away, not held in place!  Use paper towel, kleenex, printer paper or blotter paper (do they still make that?) These will in varying degrees wick that moisture away from the flowers. If you press in a book, choose one with dull pages like a phone book instead of a book with glossy pages.

Fresh flowers being made into potpourri


 I understand that not everyone can afford to have their flowers preserved professionally. Many flowers will dry nicely when hung upside down. Make sure you separate them and give them time to dry. You can also make potpourri!

I have easy to follow instructions on how to make potpourri here:
 http://pressedgarden.blogspot.com/search?q=potpourri

Fresh Bridal Bouquet of Sunflowers Roses, Veronica, Lisianthis and other Flowers, before preservation.

If you do choose to have Pressed Garden preserve your flowers, bring them to me as fresh as possible. Trim the stems and keep them in clean, fresh water. If you do place them in a refrigerator, keep it away from spots that typically freeze lettuce. Temps around 45 degrees are best. And above all... DO NOT FREEZE THEM!!!

 
Bridal bouquet, after being pressed and preserved by Pressed Garden!



 For more Floral Preservation Information, visit Pressed Pressed Garden online at: www.pressedgarden.com 
or on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/pressedgarden/
and on Pinterest at: https://www.instagram.com/pressedgarden/



Saturday, October 28, 2017

Allison's Surprise for Her New Sister In Law!

Allison, a returning customer, hired me to preserve her sister in law's 
beautiful, romantic bridal bouquet! 
Garden Roses, Ranunculus, Hydrangea, Dusty Miller, 
David Austin Roses, Succulents and Eucalyptus! 

This beauty was designed by: Lindsey of Petal Pushers, Dripping Springs, TX!

 I worked with Allison to design this floral heirloom to surprise her sister in law! 
The background is Stratford and the frame is an 11x14" barnwood frame.

 SHE LOVEDDDDD THE ART...! She was stunned and totally surprised!
~Allison

 Yay!!  I am so thrilled!!!  Thank you, Allison for the fun of 
preserving your new sister-in-law's bouquet!
~Annie

All Art by: Annie Smith, Pressed Garden, LLC, Austin, TX

Mother of the Bride's Surprise!

Susan, of Minnesota, hired me to preserve her daughter's bridal bouquet 
of David Austin Roses, White Anemone, Peonies, 
Hydrangea and Rose Buds!

 The flowers are pressed and presented on a "Dawn Gray" background 
and in an 11x14" Silver frame!


"The art piece arrived yesterday in perfect condition and I just love it.  
Thank you so much!!!"
~Susan, Mother of the Bride 
 
Thank you, Susan, for the pleasure of preserving your daughters gorgeous bouquet! 
~Annie, Pressed Garden

All Art by Annie Smith of Pressed Garden, LLC, Austin, TX

Wednesday, October 18, 2017


Christine got married in Chicago and physically carried her bridal bouquet 
all the way home on the plane and to my studio! 
Isn't it a beauty? 
White roses,Lisianthus, Ranunculus, Succulents and Eucalyptus! 

Floral Design by: Mark Weber of Kloeckner Preferred Flowers, Chicago, IL

 Christine chose to have her flowers pressed and presented on a 
Neutral Gray background and in an 11x14" silver oval frame. 
The ribbons hanging down had been the ribbon wrapped around the stems.

Thank you so much, Christine, for the pleasure of preserving your bouquet!
~Annie Smith, Pressed Garden 

All Pressed Flower Art by: Annie Smith, Pressed Garden, LLC, Austin, TX  

Friday, October 13, 2017

Melissa's Sweet Roses ~

Ohhhh....Sweet Sweet Roses ~ White, Blush, Pink, Fushia, 
with a little Baby's Breath tucked in and surrounded by Ruscus Leaves. 
 
Floral Design by: Twinbrook Floral, Fairfax, VA
 
 
Melissa chose a Barely Pink background and a 12x16" Mahogany Frame 
for her sweet rose bridal bouquet. 
I love when I find heart shaped rose petals in the bouquet 
and always try to tuck them into the design!
 
I got the artwork tonight! I love it so much!!! It is so beautiful!!  
Thank you for making it. I absolutely love the way that it turned out 
and I'm so excited to hang it up and enjoy it for years to come. 
~ Melissa, Bride

Thank YOU, Melissa, for the pleasure of preserving your beautiful bouquet! 
~ Annie, Pressed Garden

All Pressed Flower Art by: Annie Smith, Pressed Garden, LLC, Austin, TX